Automatic Generic Substitution is a proposal by the Department of Health (DH) whereby in January 2010 pharmacists could be obliged to substitute a generic version (a version of the drug with the same active ingredient) of a medication even if the prescriber had written the prescription for a specific brand, as part of a new deal on drug pricing.
In most cases, receiving a generic medicine is fully appropriate and effective for patient treatment and should continue.
[1] The DH is conducting a public formal consultation on the arrangements for the implementation of Automatic Generic Substitution.
The consultation document can be found here Currently, Automatic Generic Substitution is not permitted under UK law, except in an emergency or under strict hospital control.
It has been indicated by the DH that a prescriber will be able to tick a "do not substitute" box to prevent a proprietary medicine being replaced with a generic alternative.
[6] Poor adherence is known to be associated with worse outcomes and increased costs for a variety of conditions.